A review by obscurepages
It Came from the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror by Joe Vallese

challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective tense medium-paced

4.5

Can you believe I've been reading this for 7 months?! 😭😂 This started out as a Libby loan for me, and now I have a physical copy! And I've finally finished it!!

This book was so good 😭 I love watching horror, reading horror stories. I think as a genre, horror is so flexible and versatile and transcendent. 

This anthology does an amazing job of showing just how versatile and profound horror movies can be, especially when viewed in a queer lens. Reading this, I think I gained a better understanding of how horror functions and what it can serve to the viewers. I learned about gender and sexuality from personal accounts and stories from the authors. I also learned how gender, sexuality, race, religion, and geographic locations can intersect and how that unique experience can be shown in a genre like horror. And as a queer person, reading this book also gave me more insights about the relationship that the queer community has with horror—why we relate to it, why it gives a safe place, how we can shape it to tell our stories. I loved it and it just reinforced to me how horror is such an excellent genre.

There were a few of essays that seemed dull/drawling, but there were also some that were so well-written and poignant. Some essays that stood out for me are:
  • Three Men on a Boat by JEN CORRIGAN (Jaws)
  • The Me in the Screen by STEFFAN TRIPLETT (Us)
  • Black Body Snatchers by SAMUEL AUTMAN (Get Out)
  • The Healed Body by JUDE ELLISON S. DOYLE (In My Skin)

I also just wish every essay came with specific content warnings. Some of these can be really triggering. It's also why I had to stop every now and then because some essays are harder to digest and process compared to others.

Still, this was an excellent read overall. I can see myself going back to specific essays and reading them all over again.

Exact rating: 4.5 ⭐️ (Might post a detailed review on the blog!)

Find me elsewhere: <a href="http://www.instagram.com/obscure.pages/">Instagram</a> | <a href="http://www.twitter.com/lxndrnae">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://enthralledbookworm.wordpress.com/">Blog</a>

Marking this book as part of my reading challenge: <a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/fcf9e7dc-39a5-49e2-9f7d-a243f5073985">#ReadQueerly2024</a>.
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